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{{Quote|With [[Apples of Eden|this]] [...] a simple carpenter turned water into wine.|[[Al Mualim]], on Jesus' use of an Apple of Eden, 1191.|Assassin's Creed}}
 
{{Quote|With [[Apples of Eden|this]] [...] a simple carpenter turned water into wine.|[[Al Mualim]], on Jesus' use of an Apple of Eden, 1191.|Assassin's Creed}}
 
{{Character Infobox
 
{{Character Infobox
| image = Glyph 7 2.png
+
| image = AC2 - Christ-on-the-cross-diego-velazquez.jpg
 
| birth = c. 4 BCE<br />[[Judea]], [[Roman Empire]]
 
| birth = c. 4 BCE<br />[[Judea]], [[Roman Empire]]
 
| death = c. 30/33 CE<br />[[Jerusalem]], Judea, Roman Empire
 
| death = c. 30/33 CE<br />[[Jerusalem]], Judea, Roman Empire
 
| species = [[Human]]}}
 
| species = [[Human]]}}
'''Jesus''' (c. 4 BCE – c. 30/33 CE), also known as '''Jesus of Nazareth''' or '''Jesus Christ''', was a 1st century {{Wiki|Jews|Jewish}} rabbi and carpenter who became one of the central figures of {{Wiki|Christianity}}. His believers, called Christians, view him as the Christ and the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, believing him to be the "Son of God" who sacrificed himself to cleanse the sins of all [[Humans|humanity]], before being resurrected from the dead and ascending to Heaven.
+
'''Jesus of Nazareth''' (c. 4 BCE – c. 30/33 CE) was a 1st century {{Wiki|Jews|Jewish}} preacher and carpenter who the central figure of [[Christianity]]. His believers, called Christians, view him as the Christ and the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, believing him to be the "Son of God" who sacrificed himself to cleanse the sins of all [[human]]ity before being resurrected from the dead and ascending to Heaven. For this reason, he is commonly referred to as '''Jesus Christ'''.
   
 
Early Christians wrote down his life and teachings as the New Testament. His miraculous powers were discovered to be due to possessing [[Piece of Eden|ancient technology]] from the [[Isu|First Civilization]], including a [[Shrouds of Eden|Shroud of Eden]].
 
Early Christians wrote down his life and teachings as the New Testament. His miraculous powers were discovered to be due to possessing [[Piece of Eden|ancient technology]] from the [[Isu|First Civilization]], including a [[Shrouds of Eden|Shroud of Eden]].
   
==History==
+
==Biography==
At one point in his life, Jesus Christ comes in to contact with a [[Piece of Eden]] known as the Shroud and began performing many miracles by harnessing its restorative powers, such as healing the sick and wounded and at one point even resurrecting the recently deceased Lazarus.
+
At one point in his life, Jesus came into contact with a [[Piece of Eden]] known as the [[Shroud of Eden|Shroud]] and began performing many miracles by harnessing its restorative powers, such as healing the sick and wounded and at one point even resurrecting the recently deceased Lazarus.{{Fact|June 2020}} He also on {{Wiki|Marriage at Cana|one occasion}} allegedly turned water into wine.<ref name="Majd Addin Assassination">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Assassination (Majd Addin)]]</ref>
   
However, the [[Order of the Ancients]] took notice of his many followers and investigated these groups as well as these ''miracles'' being performed by Jesus. After being betrayed by {{Wiki|Judas Iscariot}}, one of his disciples, Jesus was arrest by the [[Rome|Romans]] under the control of the Order. He was tortured and then crucify on mount Golgotha in [[Jerusalem]], while the Ancients took the Shroud for themselves.<ref name="Glyphs">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Glyphs]]</ref> However, the disciples of Jesus were able to recover the Holy Shroud to try to cure his master and bring him back to life.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]''</ref>Numerous attempts were made, but they were all futile.<ref group="note" name="note1">Although several religious books narrate the resurrection of Jesus as a fact, in the Assassin's Creed universe this cannot be corroborated since the Shrouds of Eden can not bring a dead body back to life.</ref>
+
However, the [[Templars]] took notice of his many followers and investigated these groups as well as the miracles being performed by Jesus. After being betrayed by [[Judas Iscariot]], one of his disciples, Jesus was arrested by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] under the control of the Order. He was tortured and then [[Crucifixion|crucified]] on {{Wiki|Calvary|Mount Golgotha}} in [[Jerusalem]] while the Templars took the Shroud for themselves.<ref name="Glyphs">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Glyphs#7|Glyph 7: "Keep On Seeking, And You Will Find"]]</ref> A man known only as "[[the Wanderer]]" was believed to have encountered Jesus on his way to Golgotha, though all references to him are unreliable.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' [[Database: 09. Potential "Sage" List]]</ref>
  +
  +
Following the crucifixion, the disciples of Jesus were able to recover the Holy Shroud to try to treat his master and bring him back to life.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]''</ref> Numerous attempts were made, but they were all futile.<ref group="note" name="note1">Although several religious books narrate the resurrection of Jesus as a fact, in the ''Assassin's Creed'' universe this cannot be corroborated since the Shrouds of Eden cannot bring the deceased back to life.</ref>
   
 
==Legacy and influence==
 
==Legacy and influence==
After Jesus' death, his disciples spread his teachings through the Middle East and the Roman Empire, developing a new religion: Christianity. Christians were intermittently persecuted by Roman Emperors, until Emperor [[Constantine I]] halted the persecution and made Christianity the chief religion in the Empire.<ref name="ACB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> A [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre|church]] was constructed on the place where Jesus was crucified and buried, becoming an important place of pilgrimage.<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
+
After Jesus' death, his disciples spread his teachings through [[Middle East|Western Asia]] and the Roman Empire, developing a new religion: Christianity. Christians were intermittently persecuted by Roman Emperors, until Emperor [[Constantine I]] halted the persecution and made Christianity the chief religion in the Empire.<ref name="ACB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> A [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre|church]] was constructed on the place where Jesus was crucified and buried, becoming an important place of pilgrimage.<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
   
Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Christianity remained of the major religion in the Mediterranean world. In [[Rome]], the bishop of the city became an influential person in the European politics, taking the title of [[Papacy|Pope]] and ruling his own State. The Popes' influence was increased by three pieces of Eden in their possession: the [[Papal Staff of Eden|Staff of Eden]] and two of the three prongs of the [[Trident of Eden]].<ref name="AC2"/> Many churches, monasteries and basilicas were founded through Europe as the influence of the Church growth. During the 10th century, [[Denmark]] was converted by the bishop [[Poppa]] to Christianity using a prong of the Trident.<ref name="LDFG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods]]''</ref> As the rivality between the Popes and the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Emperors]] increased, Christianity experienced a Great Schism in 1054 between the Catholic Church, led by the Pope in Rome, and the Orthodox Church, spread in the Byzantine Empire and [[Russia]].
+
Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Christianity remained a major religion in the Mediterranean world. In [[Rome]], the bishop of the city became an influential person in European politics, taking the title of [[Papacy|Pope]] and ruling his own State. The Popes' influence was amplified by three pieces of Eden in their possession: the [[Papal Staff of Eden|Staff of Eden]] and two of the three prongs of the [[Trident of Eden]].<ref name="AC2"/> Many churches, monasteries and basilicas were founded through Europe as the influence of the Church growth. During the 10th century, [[Denmark]] was converted by the bishop [[Poppa]] to Christianity using a prong of the Trident.<ref name="LDFG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods]]''</ref> As the rivalry between the Popes and the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Emperors]] increased, Christianity experienced a Great Schism in 1054 between the Catholic Church, led by the Pope in Rome, and the Orthodox Church, spread in the Byzantine Empire and [[Russia]].
   
 
During the {{Wiki|Middle Ages}}, the Christian Kingdoms entered in Holy Wars against the Islamic Caliphates. Among these conflicts were the Crusades, through which the [[Crusaders]] tried to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre from the Seljukides and later the [[Ayyubid dynasty]] and the [[Mamluks]].<ref name="AC"/> In 1204, during the fourth Crusade, the Crusaders took [[Constantinople]] from the Byzantines and founded a Catholic Latin Empire.<ref name="SC">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> The {{Wiki|crown of thorns}} allegedly worn by Jesus was in the possession of the Last {{Wiki|Latin Empire|Latin Emperor}} [[Baldwin II, Latin Emperor|Baldwin II]]. In 1238, he sold the crown to King [[Louis IX of France]], who stored it in the [[Sainte-Chapelle]] in [[Paris]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: Sainte-Chapelle]]</ref> After the restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was eventually conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453, ending the reign of [[Constantine XI Palaiologos]]. Even if the official religion became Islam under the Turks and the Basilica [[Hagia Sophia]] was transformed in a mosque, the Orthodox Church was authorized to remain in the city with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at its head.<ref name"Rev">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>
 
During the {{Wiki|Middle Ages}}, the Christian Kingdoms entered in Holy Wars against the Islamic Caliphates. Among these conflicts were the Crusades, through which the [[Crusaders]] tried to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre from the Seljukides and later the [[Ayyubid dynasty]] and the [[Mamluks]].<ref name="AC"/> In 1204, during the fourth Crusade, the Crusaders took [[Constantinople]] from the Byzantines and founded a Catholic Latin Empire.<ref name="SC">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> The {{Wiki|crown of thorns}} allegedly worn by Jesus was in the possession of the Last {{Wiki|Latin Empire|Latin Emperor}} [[Baldwin II, Latin Emperor|Baldwin II]]. In 1238, he sold the crown to King [[Louis IX of France]], who stored it in the [[Sainte-Chapelle]] in [[Paris]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: Sainte-Chapelle]]</ref> After the restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was eventually conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453, ending the reign of [[Constantine XI Palaiologos]]. Even if the official religion became Islam under the Turks and the Basilica [[Hagia Sophia]] was transformed in a mosque, the Orthodox Church was authorized to remain in the city with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at its head.<ref name"Rev">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>
   
Another one of this conflicts was the Reconquista, when the [[Spain|Spanish]] Kings took back the territories conquered by the Muslim Army during the 8th century. The war betwween the Catholics and the Muslims ended with the taking of [[Granada]] by the Spanish forces. With the installation of the [[Spanish Inquisition]], any other faiths than the Catholic one was deemed as heretics and punished of death in Spain and later in [[Portugal]].<ref name"Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref><ref name="Rebellion">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rebellion]]''</ref>
+
Another one of these conflicts was the ''[[Reconquista]]'', when the [[Spain|Spanish]] Kings took back the territories conquered by the Muslim Army during the 8th century. The war between the Catholics and the Muslims ended with the taking of [[Granada]] by the Spanish forces. With the installation of the [[Spanish Inquisition]], any other faiths than the Catholic one were deemed as heretics and punished of death in Spain and later in [[Portugal]].<ref name"Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref><ref name="Rebellion">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rebellion]]''</ref>
   
During the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]], Jesus Christ and others Christian figures were major artistic subjects during this period. Many artists as [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Michelangelo]] and [[Raphael]] painted events from the Bible as the ''Adoration of the Magi'' or the ressurection of the Christ.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
+
During the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]], Jesus and other Christian figures were major artistic subjects during this period. Many artists as [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Michelangelo]] and [[Raphael]] painted events from the Bible as the ''Adoration of the Magi'' or the resurrection of the Christ.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> Theatrical productions of his life also took place, with Jesus being played by the actor [[Pietro Rossi]] in [[Exit Stage Right|one]] of these.<ref name="ACB"/>
   
At the end of the 15th century, some clergymen criticized the Catholic Church for its luxury and wanted to reform social life. Between 1494 and 1498, the monk [[Girolamo Savonarola]], with an [[Apple of Eden 6|Apple of Eden]], took the control of the city of [[Florence]], establishing the [[Bonfire of the Vanities]] to purge the city from its arts and luxurious objects.<ref name="AC2"/> In 1517, the German priest [[Martin Luther]], inspired by Savonarola's writings, criticized the fact to pay for the absolution of sins. He was excommunicated by the Church but his new visions of religion created a new branch of Christianity in Europe: the Protestantism.<ref>[https://www.familytreedna.com/assassinscreed/#inside/ ''Assassin's Creed'' movie - Family Tree DNA]</ref> This separation created conflicts between the Kingdoms was stayed Catholic and the ones who adopted the Protestantism. In England, the Queen [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] persecuted the protestant before her half-sister [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth]] took the crown and restablished the protestant faith. The same events occured in France during what was known as the War of Religion. The King [[Henry IV of France]] converted himself to Catholicism to stabilized his kingdom.<ref name="Unity">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – Database</ref>
+
At the end of the 15th century, some clergymen criticized the Catholic Church for its luxury and wanted to reform social life. Between 1494 and 1498, the monk [[Girolamo Savonarola]], with an [[Apple of Eden 6|Apple of Eden]], took the control of the city of [[Florence]], establishing the [[Bonfire of the Vanities]] to purge the city from its arts and luxurious objects.<ref name="AC2"/> In 1517, the German priest [[Martin Luther]], inspired by Savonarola's writings, criticized the fact to pay for the absolution of sins. He was excommunicated by the Church but his new visions of religion created a new branch of Christianity in Europe: the Protestantism.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161030080429/https://www.familytreedna.com/assassinscreed/#modal ''Assassin's Creed'' movie - Family Tree DNA] {{c|archived from the [https://www.familytreedna.com/assassinscreed/#inside/ original] on 10-30-2017}}</ref> This separation created conflicts between the Kingdoms that stayed Catholic and the ones that adopted Protestantism. In England, the Queen [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] persecuted the protestant before her half-sister [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth]] took the crown and reestablished the protestant faith. The same events occurred in France during what was known as the War of Religion. The King [[Henry IV of France]] converted himself to Catholicism to stabilized his kingdom.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: Statue of Henri IV]]</ref>
   
 
With the European explorations and colonizations, Christianity reached the other continents during the 16th century. In [[Asia]], principaly [[China]], [[Japan]] and [[India]], the Catholicism expanded with the [[Portuguese Empire]] and the Society of Jesus.<ref name="Memories">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref> In [[Americas]], the French and [[Spanish Empire]] developed Catholicism in their colonies while the [[British Empire]] and the Dutch Republic spread the Protestantism.<ref name="BF">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> Despite Christianity expanded around the world, its legitimacy on the creation of the World was questionned with the developement of Science. The astronomer [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] presented the first correct model of Heliocentrism<ref name="ACB"/> and the naturalist [[Charles Darwin]] published many writings on the Theory of Evolution.<ref name="ACS">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]''</ref> The contestation of the Christianity could also take a radical turn as during the [[French Revolution]] when the Revolutionnaries led a politics of dechristiniasation, destroying churches and basilicas, as in [[Saint-Denis]].<ref name="DK">''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' – ''[[Dead Kings]]''</ref>
 
With the European explorations and colonizations, Christianity reached the other continents during the 16th century. In [[Asia]], principaly [[China]], [[Japan]] and [[India]], the Catholicism expanded with the [[Portuguese Empire]] and the Society of Jesus.<ref name="Memories">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref> In [[Americas]], the French and [[Spanish Empire]] developed Catholicism in their colonies while the [[British Empire]] and the Dutch Republic spread the Protestantism.<ref name="BF">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> Despite Christianity expanded around the world, its legitimacy on the creation of the World was questionned with the developement of Science. The astronomer [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] presented the first correct model of Heliocentrism<ref name="ACB"/> and the naturalist [[Charles Darwin]] published many writings on the Theory of Evolution.<ref name="ACS">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]''</ref> The contestation of the Christianity could also take a radical turn as during the [[French Revolution]] when the Revolutionnaries led a politics of dechristiniasation, destroying churches and basilicas, as in [[Saint-Denis]].<ref name="DK">''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' – ''[[Dead Kings]]''</ref>
Line 33: Line 35:
 
The Shroud used to heal Jesus was later considered as a sacred relic. In the mid-14th century, the [[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|French Templar]] [[Geoffroy de Charny]] was in possession of [[Shroud of Eden 1|a Shroud]] purported to be the same one used on Jesus, before the [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins]] stole it from him in 1356. The Shroud was hidden by [[Renato Auditore]] beneath his [[Villa Auditore|Villa]] in [[Monteriggioni]], before his descendant [[Mario Auditore|Mario]] displaced it to [[Agnadello]] in 1454. The Shroud was taken by [[Niccolò di Pitigliano]] during the [[Battle of Agnadello]] in 1509, but a year later it was taken back by the Assassin [[Francesco Vecellio]]. During the 20th century, the Baguttiani family of [[Milan]] was in possession of the Shroud. On Christmas Day 1944, the Templar agent [[Keith Scipione]] bought the Shroud from the Baguttiani for [[Abstergo Industries]], the public front of the Templar Order.<ref name="PL">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> It was used by the Templar [[Álvaro Gramática]] for the [[Phoenix Project]] before being destroyed in 2014.<ref name="ACS"/>
 
The Shroud used to heal Jesus was later considered as a sacred relic. In the mid-14th century, the [[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|French Templar]] [[Geoffroy de Charny]] was in possession of [[Shroud of Eden 1|a Shroud]] purported to be the same one used on Jesus, before the [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins]] stole it from him in 1356. The Shroud was hidden by [[Renato Auditore]] beneath his [[Villa Auditore|Villa]] in [[Monteriggioni]], before his descendant [[Mario Auditore|Mario]] displaced it to [[Agnadello]] in 1454. The Shroud was taken by [[Niccolò di Pitigliano]] during the [[Battle of Agnadello]] in 1509, but a year later it was taken back by the Assassin [[Francesco Vecellio]]. During the 20th century, the Baguttiani family of [[Milan]] was in possession of the Shroud. On Christmas Day 1944, the Templar agent [[Keith Scipione]] bought the Shroud from the Baguttiani for [[Abstergo Industries]], the public front of the Templar Order.<ref name="PL">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> It was used by the Templar [[Álvaro Gramática]] for the [[Phoenix Project]] before being destroyed in 2014.<ref name="ACS"/>
   
  +
==Behind the scenes==
==Trivia==
 
 
In ''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' set during the so-called [[Golden Age of Piracy]], a number of individuals use the period-specific "Jaysus" as a mild profanity; Jaysus was a popular spelling of the name "Jesus" during the 17th and 18th centuries.
*[[Al Mualim]] once remarked that Jesus had used an [[Apples of Eden|Apple of Eden]] to {{Wiki|Marriage at Cana|turn water into wine}}.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Assassination (Majd Addin)]]</ref>
 
*The actor [[Pietro Rossi]] played the role of Jesus at the [[Exit Stage Right|Colosseum Passion Play]].<ref name="ACB"/>
 
*Throughout ''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' a number of individuals use the period-specific "Jaysus" as a mild profanity; Jaysus was a popular spelling of the name "Jesus" during the 17th and 18th centuries.
 
*A potential [[Sage]] called "[[The Wanderer]]" was believed to have encountered Jesus Christ on his way to {{Wiki|Calvary|Golgotha}}, though all references to him are unreliable.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: 09. Potential "Sage" List]]</ref>
 
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
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*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' {{c|glyphs only}}
 
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' {{c|glyphs only}}
 
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mo}}
 
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mo}}
  +
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' {{Mo}}
 
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' {{Mdat}}
 
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' {{Mdat}}
   
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{{GalleryBox|Jesus Christ}}
 
{{GalleryBox|Jesus Christ}}
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Reflist}}
  +
[[pt-br:Jesus Cristo]]
  +
[[zh:耶稣基督]]
 
[[Category:4 BCE births]]
 
[[Category:4 BCE births]]
 
[[Category:30s deaths]]
 
[[Category:30s deaths]]

Revision as of 21:08, 15 August 2020


"With this [...] a simple carpenter turned water into wine."
Al Mualim, on Jesus' use of an Apple of Eden, 1191.[src]

Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BCE – c. 30/33 CE) was a 1st century Jewish preacher and carpenter who the central figure of Christianity. His believers, called Christians, view him as the Christ and the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, believing him to be the "Son of God" who sacrificed himself to cleanse the sins of all humanity before being resurrected from the dead and ascending to Heaven. For this reason, he is commonly referred to as Jesus Christ.

Early Christians wrote down his life and teachings as the New Testament. His miraculous powers were discovered to be due to possessing ancient technology from the First Civilization, including a Shroud of Eden.

Biography

At one point in his life, Jesus came into contact with a Piece of Eden known as the Shroud and began performing many miracles by harnessing its restorative powers, such as healing the sick and wounded and at one point even resurrecting the recently deceased Lazarus. [citation needed] He also on one occasion allegedly turned water into wine.[1]

However, the Templars took notice of his many followers and investigated these groups as well as the miracles being performed by Jesus. After being betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, Jesus was arrested by the Romans under the control of the Order. He was tortured and then crucified on Mount Golgotha in Jerusalem while the Templars took the Shroud for themselves.[2] A man known only as "the Wanderer" was believed to have encountered Jesus on his way to Golgotha, though all references to him are unreliable.[3]

Following the crucifixion, the disciples of Jesus were able to recover the Holy Shroud to try to treat his master and bring him back to life.[4] Numerous attempts were made, but they were all futile.[note 1]

Legacy and influence

After Jesus' death, his disciples spread his teachings through Western Asia and the Roman Empire, developing a new religion: Christianity. Christians were intermittently persecuted by Roman Emperors, until Emperor Constantine I halted the persecution and made Christianity the chief religion in the Empire.[5] A church was constructed on the place where Jesus was crucified and buried, becoming an important place of pilgrimage.[6]

Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Christianity remained a major religion in the Mediterranean world. In Rome, the bishop of the city became an influential person in European politics, taking the title of Pope and ruling his own State. The Popes' influence was amplified by three pieces of Eden in their possession: the Staff of Eden and two of the three prongs of the Trident of Eden.[7] Many churches, monasteries and basilicas were founded through Europe as the influence of the Church growth. During the 10th century, Denmark was converted by the bishop Poppa to Christianity using a prong of the Trident.[8] As the rivalry between the Popes and the Byzantine Emperors increased, Christianity experienced a Great Schism in 1054 between the Catholic Church, led by the Pope in Rome, and the Orthodox Church, spread in the Byzantine Empire and Russia.

During the Middle Ages, the Christian Kingdoms entered in Holy Wars against the Islamic Caliphates. Among these conflicts were the Crusades, through which the Crusaders tried to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre from the Seljukides and later the Ayyubid dynasty and the Mamluks.[6] In 1204, during the fourth Crusade, the Crusaders took Constantinople from the Byzantines and founded a Catholic Latin Empire.[9] The crown of thorns allegedly worn by Jesus was in the possession of the Last Latin Emperor Baldwin II. In 1238, he sold the crown to King Louis IX of France, who stored it in the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.[10] After the restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, ending the reign of Constantine XI Palaiologos. Even if the official religion became Islam under the Turks and the Basilica Hagia Sophia was transformed in a mosque, the Orthodox Church was authorized to remain in the city with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at its head.[11]

Another one of these conflicts was the Reconquista, when the Spanish Kings took back the territories conquered by the Muslim Army during the 8th century. The war between the Catholics and the Muslims ended with the taking of Granada by the Spanish forces. With the installation of the Spanish Inquisition, any other faiths than the Catholic one were deemed as heretics and punished of death in Spain and later in Portugal.[12][13]

During the Italian Renaissance, Jesus and other Christian figures were major artistic subjects during this period. Many artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael painted events from the Bible as the Adoration of the Magi or the resurrection of the Christ.[7] Theatrical productions of his life also took place, with Jesus being played by the actor Pietro Rossi in one of these.[5]

At the end of the 15th century, some clergymen criticized the Catholic Church for its luxury and wanted to reform social life. Between 1494 and 1498, the monk Girolamo Savonarola, with an Apple of Eden, took the control of the city of Florence, establishing the Bonfire of the Vanities to purge the city from its arts and luxurious objects.[7] In 1517, the German priest Martin Luther, inspired by Savonarola's writings, criticized the fact to pay for the absolution of sins. He was excommunicated by the Church but his new visions of religion created a new branch of Christianity in Europe: the Protestantism.[14] This separation created conflicts between the Kingdoms that stayed Catholic and the ones that adopted Protestantism. In England, the Queen Mary I persecuted the protestant before her half-sister Elizabeth took the crown and reestablished the protestant faith. The same events occurred in France during what was known as the War of Religion. The King Henry IV of France converted himself to Catholicism to stabilized his kingdom.[15]

With the European explorations and colonizations, Christianity reached the other continents during the 16th century. In Asia, principaly China, Japan and India, the Catholicism expanded with the Portuguese Empire and the Society of Jesus.[16] In Americas, the French and Spanish Empire developed Catholicism in their colonies while the British Empire and the Dutch Republic spread the Protestantism.[17] Despite Christianity expanded around the world, its legitimacy on the creation of the World was questionned with the developement of Science. The astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus presented the first correct model of Heliocentrism[5] and the naturalist Charles Darwin published many writings on the Theory of Evolution.[18] The contestation of the Christianity could also take a radical turn as during the French Revolution when the Revolutionnaries led a politics of dechristiniasation, destroying churches and basilicas, as in Saint-Denis.[19]

The Shroud used to heal Jesus was later considered as a sacred relic. In the mid-14th century, the French Templar Geoffroy de Charny was in possession of a Shroud purported to be the same one used on Jesus, before the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins stole it from him in 1356. The Shroud was hidden by Renato Auditore beneath his Villa in Monteriggioni, before his descendant Mario displaced it to Agnadello in 1454. The Shroud was taken by Niccolò di Pitigliano during the Battle of Agnadello in 1509, but a year later it was taken back by the Assassin Francesco Vecellio. During the 20th century, the Baguttiani family of Milan was in possession of the Shroud. On Christmas Day 1944, the Templar agent Keith Scipione bought the Shroud from the Baguttiani for Abstergo Industries, the public front of the Templar Order.[20] It was used by the Templar Álvaro Gramática for the Phoenix Project before being destroyed in 2014.[18]

Behind the scenes

In Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag set during the so-called Golden Age of Piracy, a number of individuals use the period-specific "Jaysus" as a mild profanity; Jaysus was a popular spelling of the name "Jesus" during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Appearances

Notes

  1. Although several religious books narrate the resurrection of Jesus as a fact, in the Assassin's Creed universe this cannot be corroborated since the Shrouds of Eden cannot bring the deceased back to life.

References